The present invention relates to hot tubs, and more particularly to sound systems for use with hot tubs.
Over the years, many improvements have been made to hot tubs and spas, and to methods for manufacturing them. Typically, a hot tub is made today by first forming an acrylic top sheet into a particular configuration in a mold. Fiberglass and similar material is then sprayed and/or rolled onto the underside of the acrylic sheet to strengthen it, forming a rigid shell. Holes are then drilled through the shell for the necessary plumbing. Plumbing and a suitable pump are then added. A skirt, typically made of wood, is then added to the shell, and often a foam is sprayed or otherwise injected into the remaining cavities in the underside of the hot tub to provide insulation and further rigidity.
It is becoming popular nowadays for hot tub manufacturers to add sound systems to hot tubs. Such systems are intended to allow hot tub users to enjoy listening to their favorite music while soaking in their hot tubs. Such sound systems typically comprise a sound source such as a radio or compact disc player, and associated speakers.
Some hot tub manufacturers are known to provide hot tubs having integrated speakers. Generally, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,575,882, which issued on Mar. 18, 1986 to H. E. Diamond, such hot tubs are provided with upwardly extending wall portions which are an integral part of the hot tub shell. Speaker apertures are cut out of the shell, and speakers mounted therein.
Such current hot tub sound systems have many disadvantages which are sought to be ameliorated by the inventors of the present invention. Most importantly, prior art systems, as shown in further detail in FIG. 1, require speakers to be placed above the high-water line of the hot tub to keep them dry. Further, unless the speaker material is waterproof, the speakers themselves must be shielded from water splashed up from the hot tub, and generally from the humid environment.
Further, prior art systems typically have the speakers installed in humps molded at the corners of the hot tub, as shown in FIG. 1. This causes a problem for the users of the hot tub, since most hot tubs are arranged to allow users to sit in the corners. The quality of the sound provided by this arrangement is not optimal for the user sitting in a corner since that user will generally receive sound mostly from the speaker immediately behind his or her head. Any stereo effect which might otherwise be achieved is therefore lost. Furthermore, the person seated directly in front of a speaker will hear the speaker""s output much more loudly than someone sitting in the corner opposite the speaker.
A further problem with such prior art systems is that custom hot tub covers are required to accommodate the humps formed in these types of hot tubs. Such custom covers are expensive.
The present invention addresses these shortcomings of the prior art.
The present invention provides, in its broadest form, an acoustically active hot tub which has a shell formed of an acrylic top sheet having fiberglass material applied to its underside, and a plurality of audio transducers affixed to the underside of the shell. The audio transducers accept electrical signals from a sound source and transform them into vibrations which are transmitted to the shell of the hot tub, causing the shell to vibrate, producing sound.
In a preferred embodiment, the audio transducers are affixed to blocks embedded into the fiberglass material applied to the underside of the shell. They are preferably screwed into the blocks, which are preferably made from marine grade plywood.
A sound source maybe provided integrally with the hot tub for convenience, with speaker wires running from the sound source to the audio transducers. A vehicular radio and compact disc player may be a suitable sound source. A remote control may be provided for operating the sound source from within the hot tub.
In a further embodiment, a cover encloses each one of the audio transducers, shielding them from foam which may be sprayed into the hot tub for rigidity and insulation.
The invention also provides a new method for making an acoustically active hot tub, wherein a sheet of acrylic is molded into a predetermined form, and a fiberglass material thereafter applied to the underside of the sheet of acrylic, thereby forming a hot tub shell. The new step in the process is the affixing of a plurality of audio transducers to the underside of the shell. This affixing step may be achieved by embedding, for each transducer, a block of marine grade plywood into the fiberglass material before the material dries completely, and affixing each one of the transducers to one of said blocks, either by screwing them thereto, or by epoxying them thereto.